Microbial growth is a nuisance in various industries as well as in regard to consumer goods and around the home. Cleaning products are popular temporary solutions to reducing microbial growth, eliminating odors caused by biofouling and microbial growth, and preventing the spread of pathogens. For example, a solid surface in a school, hospital, or home is traditionally wiped down with a solution containing an antibacterial or biocide. However, these surfaces need continuous re-application and do not prevent cell adhesion and biofilm formation. Microbial resistance is still a problem. Also, traditional cleaning products do not have lasting effects on non-solid and dry surfaces or substrates.
Presently, management and reduction of odors on an industrial scale is difficult to manage. Namely, the solid waste, municipal solid waste, and mixed waste industries are required to minimize the prevalence of bad odors coming from waste in an environmentally friendly manner. Most odors are compounds released into the air from a solid surface, sludge, or liquid. Some of the troublesome odors from garbage, compost, and sewer sludge include ammonium compounds, mercaptans, sulfides, indoles, skatoles, and thiocresols.
The most common odor eliminators or odor reducers used are based on alcohol, corn husk and corn derivatives, probiotics, or masking fragrances. The problem with these common odor eliminators is that they do not last long enough, often requiring constant application through a misting system. Furthermore, such traditionally used odor reducer or eliminators are temporarily effective at reducing or eliminating the airborne odor particles, including smoke and smog, but are not effective at treating the odor source to prevent or reduce the release of the airborne odor particles for an extended period of time.
Antifouling and anti-biofouling compositions prevent the growth of organisms on or in a medium. Biocidal compositions destroy, deter, render harmless, or control populations of pathogens and pests. Biocides have also been used to reduce odors caused by pathogens, but the biocides traditionally used are inefficient in large-scale applications for persistent odors. In such cases, odor elimination is temporary, and multiple repeat applications are required.
Antifouling compositions have been integrated into paints, films, and lacquers and then applied to a solid surface that is exposed to moisture, such as a shup's hull. The antifouling composition serves to prevent the attachment and proliferation of bivalves such as mussels and crustaceans such as barnacles.
Antifouling coatings have also traditionally been applied to protect surfaces from fouling due to other pests and water-related damage in general. Traditional antifouling coatings contain copper or tin which leach out into the surrounding environment and can potentially harm non pests or bio accumulate and cause teratogenic effects or disrupt hormones. For example, paints and lacquers for ship hulls contain copper or tin to prevent arthropods in general, barnacles, mollusks, bryozoans, amphipods, annelids, hydroids, algae, and slime mold from attaching to the ship or boat and corroding the boat's surface. The copper and tin is known to leach out of the paint or lacquer, especially under acidic conditions, and into the water, exposing non-targeted organisms to the toxic copper and tin and causing bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
Some antifouling and biocidal compositions are used in ballast water to aid in the prevention of transmission of invasive species. Current compositions are not effective and lead to resistance because the currently used compositions degrade too quickly and do not repel or deter invasive species or other pests. Therefore, when a sea vessel such as a barge travels from Asia to North America, there will likely still be invasive and destructive zebra mussels alive that will proliferate, cause physical damage, and kill off native mollusks in the zebra mussels' non¬native environment.
It is well-documented that organosilicon compounds such as quaternary ammonium organosilanes that contain hydrolyzable groups are a popular choice as a biocidal and/or antibacterial ingredient in antifouling and biocidal compositions. It is believed that the cationic quaternary ammonium group of an organosilicon quaternary ammonium antimicrobial agent can form an associative bond with a variety of surfaces and is relatively environmentally friendly.
Organosilanes are typically used in products as a coupling agent to aid in boding organic polymers to inorganic materials such as plastics and metals. Organosilanes undergo hydrolysis reactions that result in the condensation and bonding of the organosilane to an inorganic surface. When applied to a surface, hydrolysis and condensation reactions of the silane take place. The bond between the silicon atom and the oxygen hydrolyze in an aqueous solution or environment. The hydrolysis results in reactive silanol, a silicon bonded to a hydroxyl group. Then the reactive silanol condenses with other reactive silanols to form a siloxane polymer with silicon-oxygen bonds that are stable. The resulting polymer couples with the molecules of the surface to which it is applied, adhering as a coating that essentially becomes part of the surface itself and forms a surface barrier.
Organosilanes are resilient once adhered to a surface and can resist harsh conditions such as ultraviolet radiation, water immersion, and high temperatures. It is also known that organosilanes have the ability to repel water and dirt.
There are presently several cleaning solutions used that contain organosilicon compounds, specifically, organosilanes. These cleaning solutions are typically used to remove odors, and are used as antibacterials, antifouling paints, general antimicrobials, disinfectants, and pesticides. The organosilane compositions are used in various industries: maritime, food, medical, waste, consumer goods, petroleum engineering, waterworks systems, construction materials, agriculture, and textiles for example.
Organosilane compositions are traditionally used in liquid form and applied to a surface. Organosilanes are lipophilic and can be difficult in forming homogenous liquids suitable for aqueous sprays, and they frequently require methanol as part of the compound or added to a solution to prevent degradation while stored. Shelf life and thermal degradation of organosilane solutions are a concern. Longevity, simplicity in manufacturing, and minimization of effects on non-intended organisms by organosilane compounds needs improvement.